It has been a summer filled with incredible stories, having read and listened to middle school and YA novels.

The narrator, Christian Coulson, completely brings this character to life!

Other books that I look forward to sharing with my students are…

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. It took me a few chapters to get into the story, but then…I couldn’t put it down. I always enjoy a good heist story, and this one includes kids with powers! What more could you want? I lost myself in the characters’ interesting, diverse backgrounds and realistic, yet fantastical setting.

The Inquisitor’s Tale. So far, this is my favorite for 4th grade & up. It is historical fiction, funny and magical-and GREAT WRITING. I miss the characters, so hopefully there will be a sequel. The Audible version was incredible!

The Diviners. This historical fiction fantasy is really scary & disturbing in places, so if you are easily creeped out…you might want to pass on this one! I loved the writing! I am currently reading the second book in the series, Lair of Dreams.

I will add more notes later on these middle and YA books!

I am excited to add them to my class library, and I am working to create interesting categories, inspired by this post by Amy Rasmussen

Spliced into a motionless reel of cars,
I dream through a dusty window.
A soft green field-
Margined with yellow mustard blossoms-
Reaching towards a chorus of hills.
I imagine-
Life hidden beneath its grassy waving surface.

Above, alert,
A cooper’s hawk hovers,
Pumps its wings,
Perches onto a utility pole.
For one moment,
I witness this ancient negotiation,
The field and the hawk;
I am pulled away,
Awed by their silent agreement.

I like the word quagmire.
I can see it:
Muddy danger,
Looping around the q,
Threading through the u,
Sifting in and out of consonants and vowels,
Savoring its prey.
An inescapable predicament,
A spooling and spiraling swamp,
An unplanned interruption.
Not always welcome, it is an honest word.

Sitting on Stinson Beach,
Watching seagulls abscond with unguarded picnics,
I am still.
My daughter and I share ear buds,
Entranced,
Listening to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night.
Salted gusts, cool, beg us to burrow into the sunned sand.
Coppertone-perfumed blankets,warm,keep us safe.
Without warning or hesitation, she joins her brother for some soft serve.
I stay behind, narrative paused, guarding the evaporating moment.

Our focus is on books middle school students might like to read and topics pertaining to books for these students, and we are giving recommendations. Teachers, librarians and middle school students are the contributors to this blog. Enjoy!